James E. Rooney
Executive Director
Massachusetts Convention Center Authority
Jim Rooney has been executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority since 2003, and oversees the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the Hynes Convention Center, the Boston Common Parking Garage, and the MassMutual Center in Springfield. Jim’s tenure at the MCCA began in 2001 with his oversight of the building of the $850 million BCEC, which was hailed as one of the best-run public works projects in the country for being on time and under budget.
MCCA bookings in Boston have exceeded projections under his leadership, with conventions now generating more than $500 million in annual economic impact for the Commonwealth and Greater Boston. In 2011, the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the Hynes Convention Center became only the 14th and 15th centers in the world to be awarded “gold standard certifications” by the International Association of Congress Centers (AIPC). According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), Boston’s market share of major events has grown faster from 2000 to 2010 than any other U.S. destination under Jim’s leadership.
Rooney is currently heading a bold new initiative in Massachusetts called “Top 5” with plans to develop additional hotels in Boston including a 1,000-1,200- room headquarter hotel and to expand the BCEC to help vault Boston into the “Top 5” convention destinations in North America.
Rooney is a PCMA board member and sits on several not-for-profit boards in the Boston area including the Boston Children’s Museum and The Walk for Hunger/Project Bread. Jim has received several professional awards and was recently recognized as one of the 50 most influential Bostonians. Before moving to the MCCA, Jim served as chief of staff to Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. During the 1990’s, he held senior positions at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the Central Artery Project. Mr. Rooney began his distinguished public career in transit at the MBTA starting as a track laborer and rising to the position of Deputy General Manager. A Harvard College graduate and native of South Boston, he currently lives in Dorchester, Massachusetts.